For the month of October we have been joining the Star Wars Reads campaign with reviews on various Star Wars books. While I enjoy a good novel, much of my time spent reading these days ends up being with my four year old. If you are the parent of a small child, you know how frequently they request you to read the same story over and over (and over and over). So what’s a parent to do? How about finding books that talk about things you both enjoy, like Star Wars?! I picked out my favorite Star Wars children’s books to read with my son and reviewed them here.
Published by Disney, 5-Minute Star Wars Stories is a collection of 11 short stories which, as the name suggests, can be read in about 5 minutes. Written by various authors, the colorfully illustrated stories cover mini tales from all currently released Star Wars films. Included in this book are stories like “Race to the finish line,” a simplified telling of Anakin’s pod race from The Phantom Menace. Also included is “A friend for Rey,” an adorable story about the meeting of Rey and BB-8 on Jakku. The illustrations are vibrant and not overwhelmingly cartoonish. This book is great for introducing characters to young fans but might be too simple for older children who are already familiar with the movies.
Little Golden Books are, for many, a childhood staple. I was excited to discover that Little Golden Books has published 6 books based on the original and prequel Star Wars movies. Unlike the 5-Minute Stories book, each book covers an individual movie. As with all Little Golden Book’s, the movies are explained in a simplified way. My personal favorite of the series is the Revenge of the Sith book which includes the Anakin Obiwan fight scene in a narrative that is easy to explain to a curious child who might not yet be ready to view the film. Basically, Anakin is angry and Obiwan is sad that he could not help his friend. Which if you think about it, is pretty much what the famous lightsaber battle is about, without all the limb severing and lava.
Learn more about the “Star Wars Reads” campaign at the official Star Wars site: http://www.starwars.com/news/star-wars-reads-2016
Jennifer Beauvois
REPORTER
Jennifer Beauvois is a mom and all around Star Wars fanatic living in Southwest Florida. Jennifer is also an active member of Rebel Legion, the “Good Guy” branch of the Star Wars costuming and charity group, the 501st. When she isn’t talking about Star Wars to anyone who will listen, Jennifer also loves racing sailboats, table top games, and crafting gifts for her friends and family.